TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Ahead of Memorial Day on Monday, people from several organizations were out Saturday morning prepping the South Lawn Cemetery on the Southside.
Flags were placed on the graves of all veterans, which is something Gregory Harrell, State Senior Vice Commander of the Arizona VFW, says is done by organizations at almost every cemetery.
“A lot of soldiers before me and after us are going to sacrifice the ultimate for this country,” he said. “Let us never forget what they did and the value of their service to this nation and let’s make sure we keep passing that on so that we never forget that.”
The Memorial Day service at the South Lawn Cemetery, located at 5401 S. Park Avenue, will take place on Monday at 9 a.m. and is expected to run about an hour. Attendees are encouraged to arrive between 8 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.
While there are different ways to celebrate the holiday, Harrell wants people to remember the reason for it.
“Everybody says, ‘okay, barbecues, hamburgers and hot dogs’ – it’s not about that,” he said. “It’s okay if you want to get together, but let’s not forget all those service members before us who gave the ultimate sacrifice so that we can stand here today and have a hamburger and hot dog – that’s what it’s all about.”
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Madison Thomas joined KGUN 9 in July of 2023 as a <i>multimedia journalist</i>. She graduated from Arizona State University in May of 2023 with a degree in journalism and mass communication. She has lived in Arizona her entire life and grew up in Douglas. Madison is thrilled to share the stories from the community she grew up in. Share your story ideas and important issues with Madison by emailing madison.thomas@kgun9.com or by connecting on <i>Instagram</i>, <i>Twitter</i> or <i>Facebook</i>.
